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Treants
A Treant is a tree that became sentient on its own and chose to roam rather than remain rooted. A blighted Treant becomes a Dendroll. Treants differ from Dryads in that they achieved sentience on their own as opposed to being created by Gaia and breathed to life by Sage. Whereas all Dryads are female, all Treants are male. A Treant’s lifespan is dependent on what kind of tree they are and what conditions they live in. If they are a palm treant, they will live 40-50 years. If they are a bristlecone pine and were planted before the Fae were spawned in existence, it’s possible they may still be alive. History Treants were created a few hundred years after the first generation of Fae had gotten accustomed to Ga'leah and began exploring the extents and limits of nature magic. These Treants were gentle giants, merely serving as reminders that the forests had voices and could be dangerous if mistreated, but it was not the way they wished to live. They served as teachers for the proper use of nature and elemental magic to all who wished to be taught. As the Fae sparked rebellion against their creators, nature lashed back with having more Treants rise to the call to arms. After the Great War, many Treants went back to their forests and became trees again. Others traveled to the Yarrow, which was the newest forest, and rooted themselves there to serve as its guardians. Few others lingered to investigate the new Dryads, humans, and witches but remained more interested in the well-being of their forests. The Yarrow remains the most populated due to the enriched magical soil there as well as the presence of Druids. Smaller forests throughout Ga'leah might not have their own personal Treant all the time but just because one has not been seen does not mean a Treant has never been there. Where they choose to wake up from their tree state is ultimately up to them, but they typically choose less populated, nature-dense locations to spawn such as the Oasis, Stonehedge, or the Forgotten Swamp. Culture Treants don’t go out of their way to interact with other species, but they will not shy away when approached. They have a ‘live and let live’ mentality and move independently of whatever else happens to be inhabiting their environment. They are constantly observing their surroundings and may offer wise advice at random intervals if they feel the need to speak. They tend to keep to themselves and their fellow trees, however, as they are thoughtful and introspective beasts. So long as their habitat isn’t disturbed, they will remain the gentle giants they appear to be. Although it is their duty to protect the forests and its flora, they will not be provoked if a tree or two are chopped down in their presence so long as a prayer is made to the Green Man before the woodcutting commences. They will only get aggressive if the woodcutting appears to be out of greed or malice. Killing a Treant purposefully will invoke the Green Man's wrath, and the earth will swallow the one who dared kill one of his peaceful creatures. If the death happened accidentally with no malice (towards the Treant or to nature in general), then a plea can be made to the Green Man to which he may listen. Since they obtain their nutrients through the soil and require more sustenance than they would if they had remained rooted, they may accelerate the decomposition process of dead animals. This is done by effectively mashing the bodies with their limbs to use the loose material as fertilizer. Characteristics Treants can have anywhere from two to eight legs, depending on the root system they pulled up when they chose to walk. Most Treants have two to four legs, however, as the others slough off during the process of uprooting. The size of a Treant varies greatly depending on the tree species they sprouted from. The larger the tree/Treant, the much more slowly it will move. The taller the tree/Treant, the more likely it will hunch over while walking to support its weight better. Its foliage may fall off during the winter, regrow in the spring, and otherwise change colors according to the season.Their faces appear weathered as there are cracks and knots in the bark to form different aspects of the face. They have knots as eye sockets but no eyes. Other traits of the Treant's body vary in appearance, sometimes depending on what the tree itself is named after or what wildlife is nearby. All Treants possess bark-like skin, branches protruding from their heads or back, and dangling roots from at least one part of their body. Treants have no inherent human form unless they join the Sentinels of the Pantheon. Their human form reflects the equivalent age they are as a tree. Human form can range through any skin tone known to humans due to the different colors of woods for trees. Treants are male in human form, but they do not regard gender the same way humans do. Reproduction A Treant cannot reproduce. They are born when a tree has reached its mature stage and achieves sentience. Not every tree obtains consciousness. Abilities Since Treants are born from nature, they have a deep connection to the surrounding plant life. This allows them to feel, see, hear, and sense things that are visible or near vegetation. Their strongest connection is through other trees, but they may listen to other plant life as well. Their realm of influence just may not be as strong. Treants are graced with immense strength, as demonstrated by however thick their trunks and limbs are. They move slowly but make up for their lack of agility in their power of strength. Given the nature of their bark and thickness of their trunks, they are difficult to incapacitate. Weaknesses Treants, even in human form, do not ‘see’ and ‘hear’ the world in the traditional sense. They ‘see’ and ‘hear’ through nature, which results in echoes. Given how much time a Treant has spent within nature, they are able to decipher what they see and hear as easily as anyone else would. Their perception of events may just be off...or unfocused because they paid more attention to the environment rather than the individuals inhabiting it. This over-focus or lack of traditional focus can be used against them. Since they can only see/hear through nature, they will be blind and deaf if no plant life is nearby. Although they possess thick bark-like skin, they can still incur superficial damage easily. Anything that was carved into them in tree/Treant form will carry over to their human form. Due to their leafy and wooden nature, Treants are vulnerable to fire. They are no more resilient than your average tree would be, but Treants do possess the ability to fight back. Killing a Treant WILL attract the attention of the Green Man, and he is none too forgiving when it comes to destruction of his wards. Category:Bestiary Category:Species